---
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title: Building Blocks of Flow Approval Processes
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version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/automate_automated_approvals_concepts_building_blocks.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automate_automated_approvals_concepts_building_blocks.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
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description: Stages, steps, and flows are the building blocks of a flow approval process.
products:
  - Flow Builder
  - Salesforce Platform
release: "264"
---
# Building Blocks of Flow Approval Processes

Stages, steps, and flows are the building blocks of a flow approval process.

- **[Stages in Flow Approval Processes](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automate_automated_approvals_concepts_stages.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    A stage groups related steps, organizing them into a logical phase. Stages are executed sequentially, and only one stage in a flow approval process can be in progress at a time. You configure the conditions that must be met for the stage to be considered complete.
- **[Steps in Flow Approval Processes](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automate_automated_approvals_concepts_steps.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Steps are grouped in stages and can be run sequentially, concurrently, or when specified requirements are met. Approval steps assign the completion of an active screen flow to a person, group, or queue and require user intervention. Background steps run an active autolaunched flow synchronously or asynchronously and have no user interaction.
- **[Flows in Flow Approval Processes](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automate_automated_approvals_concepts_flow.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Each background and approval step in a flow approval process runs an associated flow. If the logic for controlling stage and step execution calls for more than 10 requirements, use an evaluation flow to create more complex criteria.